MEDIA: 'New analysis aims to gauge the impacts of offshore wind on the fishing industry'

‘Low-carbon renewable energy sources are essential for a sustainable future. Twenty years on from the first commercial offshore wind farm lease in the UK, the British Energy Security Strategy aims to provide 95% of electricity from low-carbon sources by 2030, with offshore wind farms having met half of that target in 2023.

However, while such a focus on renewables is urgently needed, marine urbanisation on this scale has significant implications for the environment, as well as other marine industries, and it is vital these are also taken into account.

Early in 2024, an online survey was distributed by researchers from Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the University of Aberdeen to the UK fishing industry, calling for views and experiences based on interactions with offshore wind farms around the British Isles.

We aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the interactions occurring between the offshore wind and commercial fishing industries, and gauge how fishermen feel they are affected.’

Read the full story on the Fishing News website here >>